First Post for Lia Mey!

Currently Playing: Feist (I didn't know she was so popular...)

Howdy all! I decided to start this blog because I have a lot whirling about in my mind with regard to the end of the Harry Potter series.

Oddly enough, I was never a fan till this year (2007). I just started reading the series on a whim. I love the Inspector Morse series and was checking out the DVDs with my husband every week. The extras on the DVDs have trivia bits and I noticed that many amazing and well-known British actors were also in Harry Potter. So, I decided to check out the movies, which were amusing, but our school librarian convinced me to read the books. Then I feel deep into the fascinating world J.K Rowling created.

Where to begin...By far the fifth novel, Order of the Phoenix, is my FAVORITE of the series. One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was the insight into Harry's parents. As readers, we do not see much of them pre-Harry, when they were alive, and vibrant people. I was especially intrigued by Lily since her eyes come up so often and most likely gender identification (that old notation that girls like reading about girl stuff). The "Snape's Worst Memory" chapter became a bit of an obsession for these reasons - so many questions sprang from it! Most of my questions were the same as Harry's - the first of which was "Why did she marry James?", quickly followed by "What did Sirius mean when he said 'no she didn't (hate James)?"

The central question for me was "Why did Lily blink?". Blinks like Lily's are usually reserved for shock, for that moment to process something unusual, something different, a pause that suggests more than, pardon the pun, meets the eye. I KNEW something had to be there, and I began scouring the series for little clues, little indications, little nods JKR might give readers as to the relationship between Lily Evans, James Potter, and Severus Snape. I marked little passages with book darts, noticing several things and beginning to formulate a story.

My first story I began to jot down on paper, outlining, checking facts on the HP Lexicon, creating playlists in iTunes of songs that struck me as inspirational to this story that began to gain strength. I had originally started with Lily's first year and gotten through most of third and fourth year, but left my story off for Lent (I feel that Lent is the time of year to focus on God, to turn away from those things that distract one...like fanfic:). I resumed again after Lent, but I did so cautiously. Lent actually caused me to reflect that there could be something significant in the seventh book that would shed more light on these three characters. I left off my story writing and busied myself in anticipation of Deathly Hallows.

Then the midnight party came and I got by book around 12:30 a.m. I raced home and arrived about 12:45 and made a little nest of blankets for myself in a corner of our newly purchased condo (a la Kreacher). I read straight through the morning, pausing for bathroom breaks, to howl over the deaths of Hedwig, Mad-Eye, and Dobby (I had to stop for a full seven minutes as I let out a full wail for the little elf - I am sure our new neighbors had no IDEA what was going on...). I think I reached "The Prince's Tale" chapter around eight in the morning. When I saw the picture, I let out a little whoop. As I read on, I pumped my fist in the air! So many people had shot down my ideas and theories about Lily and Snape, it was a joy. It was difficult to move on the next chapter, for many reasons (Harry's impending death, fatigue, a stomach full of cashews, Trader Jo-jos, and water), but one of them was not wanting to leave Snape and Lily.

However, I was in NO way totally onto what JKR had written. She totally broke my story into pieces, but many large fragments were still in tact. Upon a second read and looking back at my bookdarted passages (I DID mark the passage in Order of the Phoenix where Petunia talks about "that awful boy" - hee!), a new story began to form in my head. I began thinking, finding new songs, outlining a bit, but mostly just thinking. I was inspired to sit and think by JKR who says that sitting on the train just thinking about how the story would work was the best thing she did. I agree.

I have begun to develop a new fanfiction that does not disregard the last novel in the series. Granted, I have no idea what I am going to do with four notebooks full of work, but it was helpful to write that all out and get some ideas for my new fanfic which I will publish on this blog. In my next post, I will list labels, etc. about my fan fic.

Thank you!

Lia Mey